Howard Community College

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Pathways THE MAGAZINE OF HOWARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE VOLUME II, NUMBER 3, SPRING 2012 MANAGING EDITOR Jane Sharp WRITER Harriet Meyers DESIGN Margie Dunklee Mike Scrivener Sarah English PRODUCTION Christi Tyler Vicky Trail Brittany Wesselhoff PHOTOGRAPHER Mike Scrivener Howard Community College (HCC) takes seriously its role to offer numerous options to all students in Howard County who wish to secure a quality higher education, no matter what stage of life they are in. The recent national discussion on college "completion," and how students fulfill higher education objectives, provides a wonderful opportunity to share the many ways that HCC students have achieved personal goals according to an approach that is not onesize-fits-all. For HCC students, the concept of "getting there" can best be described as an intricate pathway offering a variety of different routes that ultimately lead to a destination of choice. This individual path to completion may lead a student to securing an associate's degree, transferring to a four-year college or university, retraining following a job loss, enhancing work qualifications through certification or professional development training, pursuing courses for personal enrichment, or taking advantage of a host of other available choices. By creating a flexible environment that provides a framework for student success at every access point, HCC has earned a well-respected reputation for being one of the top community colleges in Maryland for exceptional workforce preparation. This is no surprise. Wherever I go in the community, I encounter numerous HCC alumni who have found their places in life as nurses, emergency medical technicians, teachers, journalists, cyber security officers, bankers, and more. These individuals dedicate themselves every day to those who need their skills and talents most. Upon entry to HCC, students learn quickly that they will "get there from here." As you will read in the pages that follow, "there" is a destination that is often found via many paths. Sincerely, Kathleen Hetherington, Ed.D. President Pathways | Howard Community College Spring 2012 EDITORIAL BOARD Linda Emmerich Farida Guzdar JoAnn Hawkins Missy Mattey Sharon Pierce, Ed.D. PRESIDENT Kathleen Hetherington, Ed.D. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS & MARKETING Nancy Santos Gainer DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Randy Bengfort BOARD OF TRUSTEES Katherine K. Rensin, Chair Kevin J. Doyle, Vice Chair Edmund S. Coale, III Roberta E. Dillow Mary S. Esmond Dennis W. Miller Dennis R. Schrader Kathleen Hetherington, Ed.D., Secretary-Treasurer Pathways is published twice a year in the spring and fall by the Office of Public Relations & Marketing. © 2012, Howard Community College 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway Columbia, MD 21044, 443-518-1000. Read Pathways online at www.howardcc.edu/pathways ECO-AUDIT STATEMENT This issue of Pathways was printed on paper derived from well-managed forests and 10% recycled post-consumer waste. According to estimates produced using the Environmental Defense Paper Calculator, the use of this paper saves the following: Trees – 4 Energy Saved – 2 million BTUs Greenhouse Gas Reduction – 545 lbs. of CO2 Waste Water Reduction – 2,675 gallons Solid Waste Reduction – 165 lbs.

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